Photographic-printing apparatus



F. v. KOEPKE.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1919.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- F. V. KOEPKE.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED uov. 3, 1919.

1 373,893, Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

fig?! 2] 22 FRED V. KOEPKE, OF' LAJVEOILLE, ILLINOIS.

PHOTOGRAPHIG-PRINTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application filed November 3, 1919. "Serial No. 335,403.

T 0 alt-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED V. KoErKE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Lamoille, in the county of Bureau,

State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-'- Printing Apparatus, of which the' following is a specification.

My invention relates to photographic printing apparatus, and has particular reference to that type of such apparatus in which artificial light is employed although not necessarily limited to such a source of illumination.

The principal objectsof the invention are to provide an improved apparatus in which the manipulation necessary to performing a complete cycle of operations is reduced to a minimum; to provide an apparatus in which great numbers of similar prints may be rapidly produced with a single setting of the apparatus; to provide improved means for facilitating removal of the completed print from the apparatus; to provide an improved arrangement for holding the negative in the proper position relative to the printing paper and mask therefor; to provide an improved arrangement whereby the apparatus may readily be changed or adjusted to permit of use in connection with films of different sizes; to provide an improved automatic means for controlling the source of illumination by which the printing is effected; to provide improved means for holding and maintaining the various functional parts of the apparatus securely in position; to provide an apparatus which may be simply and economically manufactured, operated and maintained, and in general, to provide an improved photographic apparatus, of the character referred to.

In the drawings accompanying this applicationFigure 1 is a plan View of a table equipped with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of a portion of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlargement of certain details connected with the paper raising arrangement;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section showing details used in connection with the glass holding arrangement; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective of an improved mask arrangement.

Referring to the drawingsin particular Figs. 1 and 2, 10 represents a flat topped table constructed of wood or other suitable material and equipped with a set of four legs 11, lOng enough to make convenient manipulation of the apparatus by an operator sitting in front of the table. Underneath the table is a suitable light box 12, with a curved reflector 13, for the purpose of concentrating in an upward direction upon a ground glass screen 14, the illumination derived from three nitrogen filled tungsten lamps, one of which 15, is shown in Fig. 2.

A pilot lamp 16 having relatively low candle power so as not to injure the paper, is usually kept burning continually, so as to furnish light for manipulating the apparatus. The printing lamps 15 are automati cally controlled by a simple form of switch 17, so arranged that when the plunger 18 is depressed against the action of a spring 19, the lamps are energized. .The plunger 18 is located in an aperture in the table top in position to be engaged and depressed by a stud or pin 20, secured in and depending from the under side of a hinged member 21, forming the movable back of the printing frame 22. As shownin Fig. 1 the printing frame 22, and three other printing frames similar to the frame 22, are secured around a periphery of a turn table or .turret 23, mounted to rotate in a circular aperture cut in the top of the table 10. This turret arrangement enables a single light box and a single table to be used conveniently in connection with printing frames of a plurality of sizes without having to dismantle, remove or reorganize the printing apparatus when changing from one size of film or paper to another. It is obvious that by rotating the turret 23, any of the printing frames may be For securing the printing frames in position over the lightbox 12, I prefer to use a couple of L-shaped studs or screws 26,

arranged so that they can be turned to an angle of ninety degrees or so to swing into the position shown at 26 in Fig. 1 over the sides of the printing frames. As shown in Fig. 3, the clamps 26, hold the sides 27 of the printing frame securely down against the table top, or rather the parts clamped between the table top and the printing frame. As shown in the drawings, each printing frame 22, is equipped with a movable portion 21 previously referred to, movable portion 21 also being equipped with a pad-member 28, consisting ofa small piece of board faced with felt or other suitable material 29. The pad-member 28 is loosely connected to the under side of the movable member 21 by means of a pair of cloth hinges, 30 and 31, which permit the pad-member to accommodate itself to the paper, thus making allowance for the movement of the part 21 on its hinge 31, and accommodating itself to the pressure of the springs interposed between the pad-member and the part 21. Said springs in the present instance oomprise a pair of bowed steel or brass strips 32 and 33 which are preferably secured at their median points to the under side of the part 21, the outside ends of the springs pressing against the pad 28,

The ground glass 14, functions merely as a diffuser to the light emanating from the light box 12. Said diffused light is directed upward through an aperture, 34,- cut in the top of the table, over which aperture is located a sheet of plain glass 35. Said plain glass sheet 35 furnishes a support on which is placedthe film which is to be printed. Improved means are employed for holding the said glass 35, detachably but securely in position, said detachable or removable arrangement being desirous on account of the fact that when printing post cards, for instance, where the picture is to be -much smaller than the printing paper, a special glass with fixed mask is substituted for the plain glass ordinarily used when printing paper size of the negative. Such means comprises two small pieces of watch spring 36, the lower ends of which are fixedly secured in the bottoms of slots 37 in the table, while the upper ends are arranged to press resiliently against the front edge of the-glass 35. It will be understood that the upper surface of the table is equipped with suitable guides 38, for locating the glass in position over the light box, the rear guide 39 constituting a stop or abutment against which the rear edge of the glass 35, is

i pressed by the resilient member 36.

- It will be manifest that the above de scribed arrangement permits the operator to remove a plain glass and substitute a masked result by utilizing the mask as a means for clamping the film in position. To this end, I construct the mask 40 preferably of an extremely thin steel sheet, the mask being held dow and forced toward the glass 35 by the same means which is employed to clamp the printing frame 22, in position over the light box. The mask being of extreme thinness, its edge, although interposed between the film and paper, will have no perceptible effect upon the sharpness of the picture, as the pad will force the paper into intimate engagement with the surface of the film.

referably, where the mask aperture is approximately or nearly of the same size as the paper which is being printed, said mask 40 is secured to the under side of the fixed portion of the printing frame by any suitable means. Small pins or-tacks may be employed to advantage for securing the mask to the film, it being understood that the heads of the pins. must not project below the under side of'the mask.

Improved means are employed for facilitating the removal of the printing paper after exposure. To this end, I secure on the upper surface of the outer edge of the mask, a pair of very thin tabs or ears, 41, of thin resilient metal, preferably of the same stock as is used from which to construct the mask- As shown in Fig. 6, said tabs normally stand out from the upper surface of the mask to hold the edge of the paper slightly above the surface of the mask so that the portion of the edge located between the spring tabs 41 can be grasped by the operator and removed from the frame. It will be understood that the tabs 41, by reason of, their thinness and delicacy of action, do not interfere with the proper seating of the paper against the upper surface of the film which is being printed from.

The method of operating the apparatus will be obvious in view of the above description of the mechanical construction. When the operator desires to make a print, or a series of prints from a negative or film of a certain size and on paper ordinarily pertaining to that particular size, she places Then, afterhaving rotated the swung down into the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and clamped in position by means of the buttons or clamping members 26. Before actually clamping the frame, however, by said means, or rather, during such clamping, she adjusts the film underneath the steel mask 40, which as has pieviously been stated, has been secured to the under side of the frame 22. Thus, the clamping of the frame into position over the light box, results in the clamping of the film to the surface of the glass under the mask 40. The mask 40, of course, has its printing aperture gaged or located with respect to the'opening in the stationary part of the frame 22, so that when the paper is printed, there will be the proper border around the edge of the picture.

Having clamped the film into position, the operator places within the frame the paper of the appropriate size, and swings down the movable member 21 on top of the paper so that the pad 28 presses the paper tightly but resiliently against the mask and film. The final portion of the downward swinging movement of the hinged part 21 of the frame establishes a lighting circuit by reason of the plunger 18 being engaged by the stud 20, and after a suitable intervalto give the correct exposure, the handle or hinged part 21 is raised, breaking the circuit and allowing the exposed paper to be removed and a new sheet inserted.

I have found that with an assistant for developing, fixing and washing the exposed prints, one operator can successfully make exposures at the rate of twelve hundred per hour when printing from a single negative, which so far as I am aware, is a rate of exposure never heretofore approximated.

In order to take care of the case where it is desired to make prints of post card size from a negative of less size than size of frame pertaining to post card size, instead of using a plain glass, I employ a glass having secured to the upper surface thereof, a

mask arranged to fit the particular size of negative film from which the post card is to be printed. This arrangement is shown in perspective in Fig. 8, wherein 42 is a sheet of plain glass and 43 is a steel mask permanently secured to the upper surface of the glass 42 in hinged relation at its rear edge by means of a strip of cloth 44:, or other suitable material pasted to the edge of the glass and to the edge of the mask. This obviates the necessity of employing a plurality of printing frames of post card size each having a mask of different size.

The described details of mechanical construction are merely illustrative of one manner of applying the principles of my invention. the scope of which will be determined by reference to the appended claims, said claims being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a photographic printing apparatus, the combination of a support, a glazing on said support, a light source on one side of said glazing, a frame on the other side of said glazing for receiving and locating the sensitized sheet, a means for adjustably securing said frame to said support, a mask secured to said frame and located between said frame and said glazing, and arranged to hold a film in contact with said glazing, and a suitable handle member provided with a pad fitting said frame for resiliently clamping a sensitized sheet in contact with the mask and film.

2. In a photographic printing apparatus, the combination of a support, a glazing on said support, a light source on one side of said glazing, a frame on the other side of said glazing for locating the sensitized sheet, means for hingedly securing said frame to said support, a mask interposed between said frame and said glazing and permanently secured to said frame, and arranged to hold a film in contact with said glazing, and a suitable handle member provided with a pad for resiliently clamping a sensitized sheet in contact with the mask and film, the arrangement including means operated by the movement of said handle part for controlling said light source.

3. In a photographic printing apparatus, the combination of a frame provided with an aperture for admitting and locating a piece of sensitized printing paper, a glazing over which said frame is arranged to be fixedly disposed, a mask fixedly interposed between said glazing and frame and ar-' ranged to clamp a film between said glazing and mask, and pad means mounted on and fitting the aperture in said frame and arranged to hold a piece of printing paper against the upper surface of said mask and the disclosed surface 'of said film.

4. In a photographic printing apparatus, the combination of a frame arranged to receive and position a sheet of printing paper, a glazing, a mask, means for securing said mask, frame and glazing in position whereby a film may be clamped between said mask and glazing, a suitable pad arranged to force a piece of printing paper into direct engagement with the upper surface of said mask and the disclosed surface only of a film held under said mask and on said glazing, and'means overlying said mask released and made effective by the removal of said pad for raising a portion of said paper away from said mask.

5. In a photographic printing apparatus, the combination of a frame arranged to receive and position asheet of printing paper, a glazing, a mask, means for securing said mask, frame and glazing in position whereby a film may be clamped between said mask and glazing, a suitable pad arranged to force a piece of printing paper into engagement with the u per surface of said mask,

and the disclose film surface, and means overlying said mask released and made effective by the removal of said pad for raising a portion of said paper away from sald mask, said means comprising a thln resilient member normally located out of contact with said mask, but arranged to be forced into contact therewith when, the paper is clamped.

6. In a photographic-printing apparatus, the combination of a light box provided with an aperture for directing light therefrom, a glazing over said aperture, an abutment for one edge of said glazing and a resilientmember adapted to engage the other edge of said glazing and force the samebodily toward said abutment.

7 In a photographic printing apparatus,

the combination of a light box having an aperture in its upper wall, an abutment for locating a glazing supported over said apersheet secured to said frame, means for securing said frame to said sup-port, the arrangement being such that the mask is adapted to clamp a film interposed between the mask and glazing, and a suitable pad member hinged to said frame and fitting in said opening for resiliently clamping a sensitized sheet in-contact with the surface of ghe mask and the disclosed surface of the 7 FRED V. KOEPKE. 

